Fire screen



R. CALMY FIRE SCREEN June 20, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 10, 1947 June 20, 1950 R. CALMY 2,512,

FIRE SCREEN Filed March 10, 1947 2 Sheets$heet 2 RA LPH CAL M Y.

m/l'zvme A WMM Patented June 1950 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE F552;...

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Application March 10, 1941, Serial No. 133.430

2 Claims. (Cl. 160-344) 1 My invention relates to articles known as "fire screens" of the metal mesh type. Such screens are commonly made of metal mesh mounted on a light frame which may be placed in front of an open fireplace to prevent sparks or small embers from the fire from Jumping onto the fioor sition, the texture of or carpet in front of the fireplace and causing damage.

A later form of fire screen having various advantages over the folding screen type is coming into use; in this later type the screen is in the form of a pair of metal mesh curtains or drapes hung on a supporting frame usually fixed across the top of the fireplace.

While smarter in appearance and in some ways more convenient to use. this screen has hitherto had some disadvantages; for instance. it has been necessary, when the screen was too hot to operate it by hand, to use some article such as a poker. to openthe screen and since the proper draping of the screen required careful handling of the screen the attempt to manipulate it with a poker not only dented but finally might tear the'metal mesh andiruin the appearance of the screen.

It is an object I the invention, therefore, to provide a feen of the drape type having means whereby the drapes may be opened and closed mechanically. I

It is another object of the invention to provide mechanical means for operating a fire screen of the drape type which will be effective to move the drapes in a manner. to maintain an even spacing or draping of the wire mesh.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide means for mechanically operating a fire screen of the typedescribed which means cannot become unduly hot, and while very effective and easy to operate, are'simple and unobtrusive.

It is another object of the invention to provide in a fire screen structure of the kind having a pair of curtain-like screens of metal mesh, operating means effective to open and close both the screens simultaneously.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide, in a fire screen structure of the kind having a pair of curtain-like screens of metal mesh, operating'means including a length of chain and pulley means for guiding said chain which are so arranged that-"seizing of the pulleys cannot the woven wire material being indicated conventionally by mesh.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the fire screen gn the curtains of my invention in open pc- Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail looking in the I direction of the arrows 1-3 in Fig. 1. and drawn to a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail looking in the direction of the arrows H in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail showing the construction of the screen at the upper left hand corner, with parts broken away.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail partly in section and drawn to a larger scale showing the manner of attaching operating means to the fireguard curtains, the parts being located within the circle 6 shown in Fig. -i.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a modified form 2 of the invention in which the fire screen frame be a separate and removable unit.

is fitted into the hearth opening.

, Fig. 8 is a perspective view of still another form of the invention showing a fire screen generally similar to that shown in Fig. l, but arranged to Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detail partly in section and to a larger scale showing the arrangement of the operating means for the fire screen curtain at the location indicated by circle I in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary section on .theline "-40 in Fig. 9.

II indicates a In the, drawings. the numeral length of angle section supporting member which occur and the friction of the operating means is verylow.

In the drawings:

P18. 1 is' afront elevation of the fire screen of my invention with the curtains in closed po- 'by spot welding them thereto.

' may be made of sheet steel or brass; at each end a piece of sheet material is folded to form a short lateral wall I! and a short back wall or bracket ll provided with a slot ll, the supporting member Ill being thus boxed in at its endsby the end pieces which may be secured to the angle member II! in any suitable manner, as for instance The supporting member may be secured in place across the top of a fireplace by screwspa'ssing through slots l6 into the brickwork of the fireplace and held therein in a known manner.

I ,A-metal "curtain rod" II is supported'at each end in'the lateral walls If, as shown in Fig. 5,

by a threaded stem 20 projecting from each end of the rod passing through a hole and secured by a threaded knob 22.

l'he curtains 24 and It are suspended from the rod by means of rings 28 enga in with every fourth link of the interwoven wire mesh. It is pointed out that the mesh is so formed. as shown in Fig. 5, that the material may be readily gathby a ball 12 having a screw threaded hole therein and screwed onto the stem.

The curtains are preferably of considerably greater width than the fireplace so that they may drape gracefully and to maintain the desired draped eifect it is necessary that the means for opening and closing the curtains should act to move them evenly, without ierkiness and with.

a sweeping movement.

The means for moving the curtains preferably comprises a length of ball chain It arranged in a double rim, one run being connected by a free swlvelling connection to the outer end of one curtain and the other run his. similar connection totheouterendoftheothercurtain. 'Iheouter edges of the curtains are preferably provided Theendsoftheballchainareprovidedwith.

threeouncenandkeepthekflsthofchalnunder The guide pulleys comprhe a horllontally arfay-wa gi tivelylightpullontheoperatinghandleresults inaswiftneepingmovementofthemeshcurtains, which may weigh from seven to eleven '4 sures that the material drapes in even folds in either closed or open position.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 'l', the supporting member is fitted into the fireplace opening and secured in place by fastenings ll passing upwardly through the top flange of the angle material supporting member into the roof of the fireplace. In the embodiment of Fig. I, the curtain rod may be retained in position by the engagement of its ends in holes in the closed ends of-the supporting member and the engagement of a centrally located stud in a hole in the top fiange of the angle shaped support member. The curtainrodmaybereadilyinsertedintoor removed from position by bowing-the rod downwardly to bring the stud out of engagement with the hole and the rod, then slid longitudinally to engage or disengage first one -end and then the other from the holes in the closed ends ofthe support member.

The pulls II, as shown in Fig. '7, hang to the front of the screen at one or the other end thereof. Inordertcturntheballchain Bitoextend at right angles to the run of the chain along the support member. I arrange guide pulleys N and brackets of the type described with reference to Fig. 3 arranged in any suitable mounting arrangement to direct the chains onto the front-pulleys It over which the ball chaim extend to the pulls as previously described.

- In Fig. 8, a form of the fire curtain screen con struction of my invention is shown arranged as a self-supporting unit which may be placed in front of a fireplace when needed and at other times removed and stored. In this form of the invention, the supporting member is is supported by vertical side members It connected by a bottom tie or connecting member '2. The screen supporting and operating means may be identical t1 tires previously described with reference to 'me use members a may be provided with for- 1 screens of metal mesh suspended for straight line sliding movement on a rigid bar extending across the top of a fireplace, comprising: a frame structure having vertical members positioned against the face of the wall outside the fireplace and supportingthebarextendingacrossthetopofthe fireplace; curtain suspending rings connected at spaced points to the curtains throughout the suspended length thereoi, and mounted for free slidingmovementon the barsothatallofthe curtain maybe gathered in folds at the'sides of thefireplace when inopen position; a length of ball chain secured intermediate itsends to the top fit the diameter of the balls of the chain and of a diameter to engage with several of said balls at pmmdseacnwhichevenmcvementinturnin- 'llalltimesanddirecflnlthechainfrombehind through openings in the side frame members to support the handles outside of the frame members and protect the handles from the heat of the fire.

2. A fire screen as set forth in claim 1 and in addition comprising members connected in the length of flexible fireproof material and formed with holes through which the curtain hanging means secured to the inner edges of the curtains are engaged, the connection between the length of flexible fireproof material and the curtains being effective to prevent binding of the hanging means on the bar.

' RALPH CALMY.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Jackson Sept. 12, 1933 Eisele Mar. 14, 1939 Gromes Mar. 28,1939 Shannon Mar. 3, 1942 Adams Mar. 9, 1943 

